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The Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea

On 12 Aug 18 the five nations that border the Caspian Sea signed a historic agreement that will have very significant impacts in Eurasian relations and integration, probably far into the future. The five nations – Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan – signed the agreement at Aktau, Kazakstan after over 20 years of difficult negotiations. Media outlets from around the world covered the event. The convention has solved many security issues for the region, has defined borders in the Caspian Sea and enables unfettered implementation of energy projects and transit, provided the signatory states agree. It also stipulates that no foreign powers – such as the US and NATO – can place military bases in those nations. The last two points, energy and military bases, have foreign policy planners in Washington and London royally peeved, because it shuts the US and UK out of the immediate region and greatly benefits China’s Belt and Road Initiative, not to mention significantly easing Russian security concerns. Two of the signatories – Russia and Iran – are guaranteed a free transit route between them, in case any great troubles were to take place with Iran, another factor which has particularly irked Washington, because Western powers would not be able to interdict such shipments directly from the states involved. Continue reading “The Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea”

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Is war with Iran on the horizon?

A continuation of the previous Iran post and Part II. The full article is linked below. For a preview:

“Following on from our discussion of Iran, its history, society and people, we can now get a clearer view of what is taking place currently between the US and that ancient culture. There are currently many methods being employed by the US and the Saudis to try to isolate and bring Iran to heel. The think tanks in Washington have been busy. Among those methods we see economic sanctions, cyber warfare, threats to other nations in an attempt to end trade with Iran and attempts to destabilize Iran from inside using proxy forces. None of these are likely to have the desired effects, and we will examine why in due course. In addition, those efforts are likely to produce blowback for the nations involved in trying to sabotage Iran. So, the question is, why would the US, the Saudis and Israel want to see Iran marginalized? There are three main reasons…” READ MORE

Topics: The reasons; The MEK; An overview of the Israelis and Saudis; Israel and the propaganda; What is the Saudi’s beef with Iran?; What war with Iran would mean; The emerging realities

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What is it with Washington’s love affair with Iran?

 

This is a re-direct to a longer article I recently posted in two parts, which we can leave open here for discussion now:

“I recently came across an article that caught my attention, regarding plans for an attack on Iran by the US, coming possibly as soon as this month (August 2018). [Thankfully it didn’t happen.] Defense Secretary James Mattis has since denied the claim, which came from Australian intelligence sources. This followed upon the hyperbolic tweet of Trump’s threatening Iran with apocalyptic consequences if they ever threatened the US again. Iran had done nothing of the kind. The more cynical side of me thinks that Mattis’ denial is confirmation that an attack is being planned. I have read comments in other blog sites that echo that cynicism. However, the common sense side of me says no, that an attack on Iran would be the height of stupidity. But, stupider things have happened. My sense of what is taking place is an effort to get Iran to the negotiating table for a re-negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal (the JCPOA), like we saw with North Korea. The astrology of the US looks quite revealing with regard to both the yes and the no arguments for an attack, as it shows an administration under stress and with its hands tied, at least at the moment. In that sort of scenario, anything is possible. So, in this article we will take a look at Iran, its people, the reasons behind the belligerency of Washington toward Tehran, what the current administration is up against, and what a war with Iran might actually mean, looking at Iran and its people in this section and starting with the astrology of the US at the moment, perhaps finding some clues…” READ MORE

Topics: The current US transits; Iran, the nation; Iran’s troublous journey; Life under the Shah; A preview of the future?; The Iranian chart; The Basij

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Morandi: Bridges and Italy’s troubled waters.

Il Ponte Morandi (the Morandi Bridge) in Genoa, Italy was a landmark bridge on the A10 Autostrada across the Polcevera viaduct. It was one of the main road links between Italy and France and part of the European route E80. On 14 Aug 18 at 11:36 am local time, a large section of it came crashing down, taking the lives of 43 people with it and permanently displacing over 600 others who lived below the bridge. It is set to be demolished within a month of this writing, along with the buildings below it, which are large apartment blocks and a few industries. The cause of the collapse is currently under investigation, with 20 people so far having been indicted for manslaughter over the incident, including government ministers of infrastructure. Lack of maintenance is widely held to be the cause of the collapse.

Spending on infrastructure in much of Europe has dramatically dropped since the 2008 financial crisis. A witness at a bus stop (article in Italian) described the moment the bridge collapsed, saying she saw the tie-rods snap simultaneously, making the carriageway rise up, and then the span broke, collapsing the entire section. Fingers were immediately pointed at the Autostrade Company, a private Italian contractor owned by the Benneton family, who oversaw the maintenance of the bridge, and from then on fingers were pointing everywhere – at the government, at the EU, at anyone who could possibly be blamed. Continue reading “Morandi: Bridges and Italy’s troubled waters.”

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Syria: the last big battle?

OK, the first post. This post is actually from Aug 31, but I am travelling this week and my posts will be few and far between for the week. But we’ll start with a good one. With all the talk we have been hearing in the news about possible gas attacks in Syria, war with Iran, so on and so forth, here is an addendum I just added to the 2nd half of the Iran article I recently posted.   Talk about manufacturing consent in the West and jockeying for place among the actors…:

Update, as of 29 Aug 18: Since the original posting of this article, a couple of significant factors have come to light which may indeed signal a conflict with Iran.  The first and most significant item is that Syria and Iran have just signed a mutual defense pact. This was indicated by a solar arc of Jupiter to the Syrian Mars (military in general) and the following transits: Mars trine Syria’s Saturn (the latter ruling partnerships for Syria) and with transiting Mars in the 7th house, north node to Syria’s Pluto (a karmic link and the common destiny of large groups of people), and Jupiter sesquisquare to Syria’s Midheaven (the former representing the military for Syria).  We also make note of the approaching t-square of Saturn with the Syrian meridian axis, indicating a key decision of the Assad government. Saturn makes its direct station at a degree and a half from exactitude. The Iranian Defense Minister Hatami visited Damascus a couple of days ago in order to sign that agreement. Citing the linked article: Continue reading “Syria: the last big battle?”

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The Skripals, and other fish stories

Unless you have had your newsfeeds or TV turned off since the first of March this year, you have no doubt heard the tale of the Skripals and the scandal surrounding their alleged poisoning with a military-grade chemical weapon – “of a type made in Russia”. The tale is straight out of a spy drama, a veritable giallo, as we call them here in Italy. For more, read on… Continue reading “The Skripals, and other fish stories”